Howell and Ferdinando, between cutting rollicking folk records, were both members of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. As you know, I’m extremely fascinated by the Radiophonic Workshop. Howell himself played a key part in the composition for the Dr. Who and Through the Looking Glass scores. Time Has Told Me has a pretty in-depth bio.

Not only is the Fragile LP difficult to find, it’s also tricky to find information on Friends since they, uh, fuckin’ called their band Friends! Obviously, Lisa Kudrow’s gonna Google rank a little higher than Howell and Ferdinando, whether it’s fair or not. Anyway, enjoy these two jam hives that were ripped straight from the vinyl for full bass explosion, and definitely czech out “One Sweet Day” if you’ve been rocking that Fleet Foxes record as of late. Get shattered.

MP3 :::
Friends – A Tale of Your Life
Friends – One Sweet Day

The Left Banke folded after chief song-slinger Michael Brown bounced to form Montage, partly due to the ever present “creative differences,” but primarily because of the Left Banke’s baffling inability to receive much recognition. And as Fortuna is a bitch, Montage didn’t take off either. Though “Walk Away Renee” gained some national attention in ‘67, the group’s small but fervent following was restricted to record store dorks, music majors, and serious longhairs. In 1994, Polygram released a retrospective collection There’s Gonna Be a Storm, featuring pretty much everything they ever recorded. Of course, that disc is now conveniently out of print (being a rare psych rock fan is a pain in the ass sometimes). If you feel like shelling out for a CD copy (not even vinyl) of questionable condition, there’s a few on eBay. Luckily, MP3 blogs like this one are here to correct these wrongs, bringing you the finest in stereophonic sound.

“Desiree” is aerodynamic. The bombastic chorus is beautiful but destructive, like the Alaskan Black Bear or Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill. Proceed with caution. “Desiree” is technically a Left Banke song, written by Brown and banged out by the rest of the band. However, it didn’t see the light of day until Montage’s eponymous record dropped in 1970, and later on the Storm compilation. Brown collects his alimony, for sure. You may notice that Brown’s arrangements sound very reminiscent of Caribou. Well, Caribou’s Andorra album, for all intents and purposes, is basically a fine reinterpretation of the Left Banke – a fair assessment considering that Andorra also features an expansive canticle titled “Desiree.” I can only assume this is an obvious nod to Brown and Company.

“Bartenders and Their Wives” is some Tolkien shit. I can hear Spanish guitar, clean distortion electric guitar, harpsicord, and autoharp. What all do you hear? Again, nothing but epic vocal harmonies, thick textures, highly mobile bass melodies, delicate composition, and a semi-bucolic musical milieu. Majestic and tectonic.

If you don’t know what’s up, and you want to know what’s up, the Left Banke is what’s up. And sweet sassy molassey, Amazon (who I’ve had always had good experiences with) has the Storm compilation available for download on the cheap. Yeah yeah, it’s not the same thing as a physical copy, but unless someone gets all ambitious and starts reprinting this disc (I’m looking at you, Light in the Attic) or releases a new collection of the Left Banke’s singles and 45s, this is the best, most affordable solution for your baroque psychedelic needs.

MP3 :::
The Left Banke – Bartenders and Their Wives
The Left Banke – Desiree

As it is summer, I’ll be posting a lot of Free Design MP3s. The Free Design is such an odd group, insofar as the group’s music took on a whimsical, frolicking, sweeping sunshine pop sound whilst the lyrics leaned more toward, uh, metal. Take “Kije’s Ouija,” a narrative about a dude with a ouija board who talks at first of angels, then of the apocalypse in the next stanza.

Now many more like this the angel will send, but you could do yourself much worse /
Just push a couple buttons, let your favorite bombs completely cover over the earth /
Now the angel’s curse has come and gone, but everyone knew that

That’s heavy. The Free Design is coming back in a big way, everything from Light in the Attic’s Redesigned series that dropped not too long ago, to the increasing number of people on Last.fm rockin’ to Kites Are Fun, to a general new excitement toward the group that rivals their late ’60s heyday. For a group who wrote a song about how to make a huge hit yet ironically couldn’t do it themselves (their single “2002 – A Hit Song”), it’s about time for the Free Design’s time, regardless if it’s 40 years too late. Due to revived interest, the Free Design is back together and, hopefully, will be playing some shows soon.

Get ready to feel good. Seriously, if you want to solve problems, listen to the Free Design. No foolin’.

MP3 :::
The Free Design – Kije’s Ouija